Richard E. “Dick” English III Former Mayor of Ocean Township OCEAN TOWNSHIP—Richard E. “Dick” English III, 85, passed away peacefully on September 10, 2023. A proud resident of Asbury Park and Ocean Township for most of his life, Dick was a man of many titles: husband, father, son, brother, uncle, friend, coach, neighbor, and mayor. But the title he cherished most was that of “Pop Pop.”    Dick was a 1957 graduate of Asbury Park High School, where he played basketball. In 1960, he married the love of his life, Rosanne (Vona) English, and they soon began to raise a family. While serving as a  chief lineman at Jersey Central Power & Light Company by day, Dick followed in the family tradition of giving back to the country and his community at night and on the weekends. Dick was a U.S. Army Reservist for 6 years, and proudly served as president of the Boys Club of Asbury Park, a coach and member of the Ocean Township Little League Board of Directors, recreation soccer coach, and den father and activities chair of the Cub Scouts. He then established a model to emulate and set a standard of excellence toward which others might strive as an elected councilman (1971-1979) and mayor (1979-1987) of Ocean Township. He was thought of as an honest, straight forward, and hard-working public servant who always had the best interests of the town in mind. He also served on the township planning board, recreation committee, and sewerage authority. Following his retirement from operating big yellow JCP&L trucks for 40 years, Dick thoroughly enjoyed his second career driving big yellow school buses.   Dick’s hobbies included playing golf, holding court with his friends at Wegmans, chatting with neighbors on the front porch, rooting for the Yankees, Giants, and USC Gamecocks, tending to his fireplace, and teaching his grandchildren how to parallel park. Traveling was a special pastime for Dick and Rosanne, as they enjoyed vacations to Hawaii, Puerto Rico, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and a more than 40-year tradition of visiting their beloved Hilton Head Island.  Dick was preceded in death by his parents, Edward R. and Jane English, and his brother, William. He is survived by Rosanne, his wife of 63 years, and his sons Richard, Ralph (Lisa), and Tommy (Maria). He is also survived by eight grandchildren: Sean (Jean-Marie), Kaitlin (Ashley), Samantha, Kelsey (Brian), Matthew (Jessica), Megan, Anthony, and Nicholas, and two great-grandchildren: Kitt and Quinn. Dick was very close with his brother-in-law and sisters-in-law: Tom and Libby Vona, and Ann English, and his nieces and nephew. Relatives and friends are invited to visit from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, September 18, at Buckley Funeral Home, 509 2nd Ave., Asbury Park, NJ. A Mass of Christian burial  will be held Tuesday, September 19, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. at the Parish of Our Lady of Hope (where Dick was a parishioner and usher), 254 Wall Street, West Long Branch, NJ. Interment will follow at St. Anne Cemetery, 1610 Allenwood Road, Wall, NJ. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be directed to the Italian American Association of the Township of Ocean High School Scholarship Fund. Make checks payable to IAATO and in the memo, write: Scholarship Fund – R. English. Please mail to: Italian American Association, 1110 State Highway 35, Ocean, NJ, 07712. 
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